Vehicle-frame.



UNITED 'sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ALDENL.A PUTNAM, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AssIGNbR To DETROIT PREssED STEEL COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN. f

VEHICLE-FRAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 8, 1914. Serial No. 876,098.

To aZZ'wLom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBEN PUTNAM,

a citizen of the United States of America,

' residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne plan view and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Frames, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to vehicle frames and has more particular reference to the construction Of the horn for attaching the end of the sill to the spring and the manner of securing said horn to the sill. In the present state of the art it `lis usual to form the sills of the frame of metallic channel bars tapering toward their ends and to form the horn, arranged' at the end, of a separate casting or forging. The two parts are secured by riveting the shank of the horn to the web of the channel, and further by securing the flanges of the channel by a riveted pin extending through the shank of the horn.4 This latter attachment is objectionable, first, because the riveted ends interfere with the smooth finish of .the s'ill and further` .because the boring of the flanges in the horn for the pin increases the cost of construction.

With the presentv invention I have obtained a better. joint yand securer fastening between the sill andi-the horn, and one avoiding the necessity of a riveted pin,l the y invention comprising the construction as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings: Figure lis a side elevation of the end portion of the sill showing the horn attached thereto; Fig. 2 is a Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 Fig. 1,and Fig. 4 is a'seotionon line 4 4; and 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the sill is formed. l

A is the sill of any suitable form, but as shown provided withl'curved tapering endfj portions of channel-shapedcross section. B is the horn for attachment to the springs (not shown), and which also is of any suitablel construction. Asshown, the horn B is provided with a stepped shank portion C, which is riveted or spot-welded at D to the web portion of the sill.

To secure the flanges of the channel to the horn and to avoid the necessity of lrivet- Patented July 25, 1916. A,

ing, lthe vblank from which the sill is pressed is formed with projecting ears E on Opposite sides thereof. These ears may be read- 1ly formed from portions of the stock which would Otherwise be wasted, so that there is I no increase in stock. After the insertion ofy the shank of the horn in the channel these ears E are bent over so that their edges abut against each other, as shown in Fig. 4. The shank C is also provided with a; stepped portionfF, which .forms a filler against which the inner faces of the ears lE bear.v

whichy can be formed more cheaply` than theconstructions heretofore usedand inas-A'` The construction above described is one much as the sheet meta-l 'f oriiis a closed ring about the Cross-selction of the horn v an additional element off'strength is'provided.

readily/ finished to a' smooth-contour.

What I claim as my invention is :e 4l. In a vehicle frame, the combinationy Furthermore the construction'is one which, provides a smooth surface free 'fromrivets with a channel sill having a tapering'end; f i portion, of :a horn provided with' a flaring I shank fitting the channel of said tsill, ears j f integral'with the flanges of said*4 sill bentto overlap said-shank and to abut against each other, the ends of said ears also abutting y f against a shoulder on the shank, andfsaid y abutting edges being welded to each other.

2.v In a vehicle `frame, the combination with a sill of channel sectionl having ata perng end portion, of a horn provided with a flaring shank fitting the 'channel and provided also with a shoulder bearing against the end of the sill, and integral ears projecting from the flanges of said channel and i 'bent to'overlap said shank, the jointbetween the edgesof said ears and that between the end of the sill and the abutting shoulder on the horn being welded.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence 0f two witnesses.

ALDEN L. PUTNAM. Witnesses:

, JAMES P. BARRY,

HENRI E. BOWMAN. 

